Design work on paragon paths....

[Irda Ranger]

A path is a specialization of a class, demonstrating certain and specific qualities that make it distinct from a class. Where a class represents the time, experience, knowledge and resources you expending during your upbringing, a path is a specialization or shade of difference to what you know. A Fighter knows battle and melee – becoming a Gladiator isn’t too far of a stretch. Its more of a change of scenery. After all, you already know which end of a weapon to hold and the bloodshed is still the same color. A Wizard wouldn’t make the same jump and would take a lot of experience to get to the same place a Fighter started out a long time ago. Of course, the same Wizard becoming a Illusionist would have the same advantage a Fighter would being a Gladiator.

Taken fron another RPG using paths.
Milage may vary.

Bel

That's well written. What game?

My Guess: There are Paths you take at levels 1 and 30, and every level in between. A Ftr at 1st level is not a clone of every other fighter. You can be a 1st level Gladiator, to use the above example.

RobHeinsboo is just working on the Paths available at the Paragon levels, which we already know to be 11-20.

 

[Flynn]

I would guess that paths act like talent trees, and there are paths are each major character division: Heroic, Paragon, and Epic. So the paragon paths would probably be the talent trees for levels 11-20. Apparently, at those levels, you have two new Paragon paths to choose from, in addition to the Heroic paths. At 21st level, there could be two new Epic paths to choose from, in addition to the Paragon and Heroic paths.

I'd also assume that each race has at least one path, so that you could choose a racial special ability instead of a class special ability at the levels you get to select something from the paths.

Finally, I would guess that prestige classes are replaced with Prestige paths, and gaining access to the Prestige paths are either a factor of meeting requirements or taking a feat that allows access.

Personally, I like that model.

That's if I had to guess,
Flynn

 

[RigaMortus2]

I think you are looking into it too much... There are 3 tiers, Heroic (lvls 1 - 10), Paragon (lvls 11 - 20) and Epic (lvls 21 - 30). I suspect that is what they are talking about. They are using 'tier' and 'path' interchageably.

So they are working on making the Paragon path/tier fun/balanced/ect.

Of course, I could be wrong

 

[Simia Saturnalia]

I think you are looking into it too much... There are 3 tiers, Heroic (lvls 1 - 10), Paragon (lvls 11 - 20) and Epic (lvls 21 - 30). I suspect that is what they are talking about. They are using 'tier' and 'path' interchageably.

So they are working on making the Paragon path/tier fun/balanced/ect.

Of course, I could be wrong

That seems a little tortured.

My money's shifted to the levls 11-20 portion of the 4e prestige class equivalent.

 

[Stalker0]

My guess is talent trees. I mean why create a "gladiator" class path, when you can simply have a gladiator series of talent trees and be done with it.

Or it could relate to the SAGA jedi master system. In SAGA, you can be a 20th level Jedi, or once you hit 10th you can multiclass into the jedi knight and eventually jedi master Prc...depending on what abilities your looking for. Could be similar to that.

 

[Exen Trik]

I don't think it's anymore complicated than talent trees that simply require you be 11th level or higher before starting on them. After all, it doesn't have to be more complicated than that, so why make it that way?

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

They already said that warlord has two distinct paths a player can follow. So I'm guessing advacement might look something like:

Levels 1-10: Abilities pretty much set in stone, and you gain all your racial abilities (they are said to be available at levels other than 1st, so I'm thinking five abilities for levels 1-9)

Levels 11-20: Choose one of two paths for each class and stick to it unless you retraiin

Levels 21-30: Prestige class, a lot of options

On the top of all that come feats of course.

It this sticks, retraining could look like:
Level 1-10: You can change your class.
Level 11-20: You can no longer change your class but can retrain your path.
Level 21-30: You can no longer change your path but can retrain your prc.

Specifically, it was said:

The warlord, more than the other classes I’ve worked with, truly exhibits the options available with the character builds. You have two very distinct options for how you construct your warlord, as well as any number of permutations that combine the two.

I take this to mean that there are two trees/sets of selectable abilities, and that sticking to one or the other will provide you with one of the two "distinct options." However, you could pick and mix the various abilities between the two sets, and get the various "permutations". If you can select an ability from either set at each level, that's a lot of permutations.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I would guess that paths act like talent trees, and there are paths are each major character division: Heroic, Paragon, and Epic. So the paragon paths would probably be the talent trees for levels 11-20. Apparently, at those levels, you have two new Paragon paths to choose from, in addition to the Heroic paths. At 21st level, there could be two new Epic paths to choose from, in addition to the Paragon and Heroic paths.

I'd also assume that each race has at least one path, so that you could choose a racial special ability instead of a class special ability at the levels you get to select something from the paths.

Finally, I would guess that prestige classes are replaced with Prestige paths, and gaining access to the Prestige paths are either a factor of meeting requirements or taking a feat that allows access.

I would love to see a model like that - it would give some real grunt to the different tiers, incorporate racial goodness that we've already had mentioned etc.

Cheers